Brian Elias

Born: 1948

Nationality: British

Publisher: Chester Music

Brian Elias studied at the Royal College of Music in London with Humphrey Searle and Bernard Stevens and privately with Elisabeth Lutyens. After five years working at a finance company in New York he returned to London to re-establish a musical career. The development of his musical language can be traced through his major orchestral works. The Webernesque Le Chevelure (1967) was followed twelve years later by Somnia; the intensity of L’Eylah (1983) is built upon in the exquisite Five Songs to Poems by Irina Ratushinskaya (1989) and the powerfully expressionist ballet The Judas Tree (1991) leads to the playful but dark The House that Jack Built (2001). Two recent orchestral pieces, Doubles and Electra Mourns, have both won British Composer Awards (in 2010 and 2013 respectively). Forthcoming works include a Cello Concerto for Natalie Clein and an Oboe Quintet. A CD of his music will be released by NMC Recordings in 2017.